The present invention relates to railway rolling stock and, more particularly, to a car body for railway rolling stock and a method of fabricating the car body wherein the entire car body is divided into a plurality of individual prefabricated modules or blocks which are subsequently combined to form the entire car body.
Generally, a car body for railway rolling stock includes an underframe assembly, a side construction, a roof construction and an end construction, with the underframe assembly and side roof and end constructions being separately preassembled as individual blocks or modules which are subsequently combined. To facilitate a combining of the individual blocks or modules, suitable connecting or joining elements are provided along respective outer peripheral portions of the underframe assembly and side, roof, and end constructions.
In, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5983/1988, a car body for railway rolling stock of the aforementioned type is proposed wherein the end, side and roof constructions and the underframe assembly are combined through connecting or joining elements or members provided along the outer periphery thereof with such connecting or joining elements exhibiting a certain degree of rigidity in order to prevent the individual blocks or modules from being deformed when the blocks or modules are fabricated. Consequently, the connecting or joining elements are generally fashioned as shaped alloys having a relatively thick wall construction and, in the connected portion between the respective blocks or modules, the joining or connecting elements are superposed to each other so that the weight of the entire body tends to increase.
By virtue of the utilization of joining or connecting elements for connecting the respective individual blocks or modules of the car body, the overall number of individual components forming the respective blocks or modules tends to increase; however, with a recent trend of higher speed railway rolling stock, an increase in the weight of the body has a great influence on the tracks for the railway rolling stock which is disadvantageous inasmuch as considerable labor is required for maintaining a safe condition of the tracks. Moreover, an increase in the body weight of the railway rolling stock tends to increase the overall power consumption.
In light of the above-noted problems, there has been a trend to reduce the number of connecting or joining elements in order to decrease the body weight; however, with such an approach the rigidity or strength of the entire car body is possibly lowered. Additionally, with a reduction in the rigidity of the blocks or individuals modules, considerably more labor is required to move or assemble the blocks or modules of the car body by virtue of the reduced rigidity.
The aim underlying the present invention essentially resides in providing a car body for railway rolling stock which avoids, by simple means, shortcomings and disadvantages encountered in the prior art.
Yet another object of the present invention resides in providing a lightweight car body for railway rolling stock composed of a plurality of individual prefabricated body blocks or modules with the respective body blocks or modules having a sufficient rigidity to facilitate movement and assembly thereof.
Yet another object of the present invention resides in providing a car body for railway rolling stock wherein the entire car body has a high rigidity.
A still further object of the present invention resides in providing a car body for railway rolling stock which reduces the overall number of components forming the car body without adversely affecting the overall safety and rigidity of the car body thereby facilitating the fabrication of the individual car body blocks or modules as well as the subsequent combining of the individual body blocks or modules.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken into connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for the purposes of illustration only, several embodiments in accordance with the present invention.